In honor of the playoff series between the Denver Nuggets and the Golden State Warriors, we’ll be looking at the life of Stephen Curry and how he emerged as one of the elite shooters in the NBA. Let’s go back in time to 1988.

Wardell Stephen Curry II was born on March 14, 1988 in Akron, Ohio. Yes, his parents decided to name him Wardell, probably to carry on the name. Stephen’s father Dell Curry is a former NBA player who played in the league for 16 years and averaged 11.7 points per game. Stephen was around the basketball court from a young age because of his dad’s career. He participated in shootarounds with his dad and was by his father’s team’s bench. Curry played high school basketball at Charlotte Christian School. At this school, he was named to the all-state and all-conference team as well as team MVP. During his years there, he led his team to three conference championships and three state playoff appearances. Stephen shot over 48% from 3-point range during his senior year. Stephen had a lot of success in high school, but because he was only 6 feet tall and 180 pounds, he was considered undersized. He only received offers from Davidson College, Winthrop, and Virginia Commonwealth. With no offers from any big schools, Stephen decided to bring his talents to Davidson.

In Stephen Curry’s first game in a Davidson uniform, Curry had 32 points, 4 assists, and 9 rebounds. His 21.9 points per game led the Southern Conference and was second in scoring among freshman, behind Kevin Durant. Durant would end up being the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft. Curry led Davidson to a Southern Conference tournament victory. In the semifinals of said tournament, Curry set the NCAA record for most 3-pointers with 113. Davidson entered the NCAA tournament as a 13 seed and played the University of Maryland. Though Davidson lost, Curry scored 30 points and received a standing ovation from the crowd after fouling out. As a freshman, Stephen was selected as the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, first team All-Southern Conference, Southern Conference Tournament MVP, All-Tournament team, and All-freshman team.

In Curry’s sophomore season, he averaged 25.5 points per game to lead the Southern Conference and was fourth in Division I in scoring. Davidson ended the season at 26-6 and 20-0 in the Southern Conference. Davidson entered the NCAA Tournament as a 10 seed and played 7th seeded Gonzaga in the first round. Curry ended up dropping 40 points, 30 of them coming in the second half. Davidson went on to win the game 82-76. In the second round, Davidson faced a tough Georgetown team that had made the Final Four the year before. Curry scored 30 points, 25 of them coming in the second half as Davidson stunned Georgetown 74-70. In the next round, Davidson played third ranked Wisconsin. Curry scored 33 points and Davidson won 73-56. In the Elite Eight, Davidson lost to the eventual national champions, Kansas. Curry scored 25 points in that game and broke the single season record for most 3-pointers. Curry was named to the Associated Press’ All-America Second Team and the Most Outstanding Player in the Midwest Region in the NCAA Tournament. Overall, a very good sophomore season for Stephen.

Curry announced that he would return for his junior year to develop himself as more of a point guard. Some highlights of his junior year were a 30 point and 13 assist performance against Winthrop, and a 44 points against North Carolina State. Stephen eclipsed the 2000 point mark against Samford. In a win against Georgia Southern, Curry became Davidson’s all-time leading scorer. Davidson lost in the semifinals of the Southern Conference Tournament. This meant that Davidson needed an at-large bid to make the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, Davidson was not selected to the tournament. They were selected to enter the NIT Tournament though, eventually falling the St. Mary’s. Curry was the NCAA scoring leader with 28.6 points per game. He was also selected by the Associated Press, USBWA (U.S. Basketball Writers Association), NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches), and Sporting News as a first-team All-American. Curry was a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award, an award given to the NCAA’s most outstanding player. He was selected as a first team Consensus All-American and a Wooden All-American. Curry opted out of his senior year at Davidson to enter the NBA Draft. In college, Stephen Curry averaged 25.3 points per game, 3.7 assists per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, and 2.1 steals per game.

The Golden State Warriors Selected Stephen with the seventh overall pick in the first round. Curry made his NBA debut on October 28, 2009 against the Houston Rockets. He had 14 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals. On February 10, 2010, Curry got his first career triple-double with 36 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds. On April 7, 2010, Curry almost got a quadruple-double with 27 points, 14 assists, 8 rebounds, and 7 steals. Curry was invited to play in the Rookie-Sophomore game and scored 14 points in the game. He also participated in the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout and finished second behind Paul Pierce. On the last game of the season, Curry scored 42 points against the Portland Trail Blazers. He finished in second place for Rookie of the Year voting behind Tyreke Evans but, he was unanimously selected to the All-Rookie First Team. The Warriors finished 26-56 and missed the playoffs.

In the 2010-2011 season, Curry missed 8 games with a sprained ankle. However, Curry won the Taco Bell Skills Challenge during the All-Star Weekend. Curry also received the NBA Sportsmanship Award. He scored 18.6 points per game with 5.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds. The Warriors ended up going 36-46 and missed the playoffs once again.

The 2011-2012 season was one shortened by the NBA lockout. The Warriors also had a new coach, Mark Jackson. For Stephen, the 2011-12 season was just a year full of injury. Curry only played in 26 of 66 games. In those games that he did play, he averaged 14.7 points and 5.3 assists. The Warriors went 23-43 and once again missed the playoffs.

The 2012-13 season was one for redemption for both Stephen Curry, and the Warriors themselves. Curry started off the year hot, averaging over 20 points a game in the months of November and December. However, he suffered yet another ankle injury and missed 11 games in January. On February 27, 2013, Stephen Curry went off. In Madison Square Garden, Curry scored 54 points, over half the Warrior’s points, but they still lost. In that game, Curry shot 11 of 13 from 3-point range. During the final game of the season, Curry made his 272nd 3-point shot, breaking the record previously held by Ray Allen. He averaged 22.9 points, 6.9 assists, and 4.0 rebounds, en route to leading the Warriors to a 47-35 record. The Warriors made the playoffs as the sixth seed, and are currently playing the third seed, the Denver Nuggets. The series is favoring the Warriors 3-2, but the Warriors could not make open shots in Game 5. Highlights of the series for Curry are his 30 point, 13 assist performance in Game 2, 29 point, 11 assist performance in Game 3, and his 31 point, 7 assist performance in Game 4 including 22 points in the third quarter alone. Curry did suffer another ankle injury in this series, but is playing through the pain. His game does look a little off, especially in Game 5. However, if the Warriors can make open shots, then they will easily win this series in Game 6.

Notes: Stephen Curry has never made the NBA All-Star Team, something that he deserves to make. Curry has made 644 3-pointers over his career. Watch out Ray Allen, if Curry can continue shooting 3′s at a rate of 272 per year, he will easily break Allen’s record. Stephen Curry has a brother, Seth Curry, who just finished his senior year at Duke University. Curry is definitely an aspiring player in the NBA. If he can stay healthy, the Warriors, and Curry, will be a deadly force in the NBA for years to come.

This post doesn’t really have to do with anything involving current sports events. But in this post we’ll be taking a look at some of the records in sports that will never be broken.

NHL:

All of the NHL records are basically any records held by Wayne Gretzky. For most points all time, Gretzky has 2857 points. The next person in line has 1887, almost 1000 points less. The player currently playing who has the most points is Teemu Selanne with 1406 points. However, Selanne is 42 and probably going to end his career soon. In a season with only 82 games, Selanne would have to average three points a game for the next six seasons to break Gretzky’s record. The chance of Selanne lasting six more seasons in the NHL is slim, and the chance of Selanne averaging three points a game is even slimmer. Gretzky also has the record for most goals with 894. The active player with the most is Jaromir Jagr with 665. Jagr is also in his forties, and it is unlikely that he will even come close to breaking Gretzky’s record.  Gretzky also holds the record for most assists, with 1963. To explain how unbreakable this record is, Gretzky has more assists than the player with the second most points. Gretzky is the all-time great in hockey history and many of his records will never be broken. One record that Gretzky does not own is the oldest player to play in the NHL at 52 years and 11 days. No other player has even played after 48, and I don’t see any player willing to risk their health to attempt to break this record. 

MLB:

The list for unbreakable is almost endless. Before modern baseball and doctors, pitchers used to pitch every game. Thus, many of the pitching records are incredibly, if not impossible to break.

Most Career Wins: This record is held by Cy Young with 511 wins. This record is indeed unbreakable. The second person on the list is Walter Johnson with 417, a good 94 wins less. The highest active player is Andy Pettitte with 248. At the age of 40, and not even halfway to the record, there is no way Pettitte or any other pitcher will break this record.

Most Wins In a Season: This record is held by Old Hoss Radbourn with 59 wins. Given that some teams don’t even win 59 games in a season, and that pitchers are on a five-day rotation, using simple math, pitchers at most can pitch 33 games in a season. This is not even close to the record and Radbourn’s record will be forever in the record books.

Most Complete Games in a Season: This record is held by Will White with 75. Once again, pitcher can’t even pitch this many games in a season. The record for the live-ball era (1920-present for those who don’t know) is held by Grover Cleveland Alexander and Burleigh Grimes with 33. Given that pitchers today don’t pitch complete games every game, these records aren’t being broken any time soon.

Most Career Complete Games: Cy Yound once again, with 749 complete games. To put this record in percpective, a pitcher would have to pitch 30 complete games for 25 seasons to get 750. Not going to happen.

Most Career Strikeouts: This record is held by Nolan Ryan, the strikeout king, with 5,714 strikeouts over his career. Randy Johnson is second with 4,875. The highest active player is Andy Pettitte with 2,342 strikeouts, still a good 500 strikeouts away from halfway. Ryan’s record is going to be in the record books forever.

Most Career Hits: This record is held by Pete Rose with 4,256 hits. The highest active player is Derek Jeter with 3,304 hits. Jeter needs five more seasons with 200 hits each to break the record. Given that Jeter hasn’t played at all this season, he won’t reach Rose’s record.

Most Consecutive Seasons With 200 Hits: This record is held by Ichiro Suzuki with 10 seasons. Considering that no player has entered this season with a streak of two, this record won’t be broken.

Highest Career Batting Average: This record is held by Ty Cobb with a .366 average. To put this in perspective, Cobb hit over 1 for 3 every game, an astounding feat. Between the years 2000-2009, the mean of the league leaders in average was only .360. Thus, even the ten best hitters in ten years could not best Cobb.

Longest Hitting Streak: This list would not be complete without Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak. Pete Rose reached 44 games and Willie Keeler hit in 45 consecutive games. This is one of the greatest records in baseball lore, and won’t be broken anytime soon. Heck, even in the MLB.com game “Beat the Streak”, nobody has broken DiMaggio’s record.

Most Consecutive Games Played: This list would also not be complete without Cal Ripken Jr.’s streak of 2,632 games played in a row. Just take a step back and look at this record. A player would have to play every game for over sixteen seasons to break this record. That’s playing sixteen seasons without injury, sixteen seasons without suspension, sixteen seasons without rest days, and sixteen seasons of games every day. Heck, just the fact that Ripken hit .276 over this span is incredible.

Most Career Stolen Bases: Rounding out the MLB list is Rickey Henderson, with 1,406 stolen bases in his career. Given that no active player is even halfway to breaking this record, and that Henderson had three 100-stolen base seasons and thirteen 50-stolen base seasons, this record is pretty much untouchable.

NFL:

Most Sacks In a Game: This record is held by Derrick Thomas with seven sacks in one game. Most players don’t even get three sacks in a game, and this record won’t be broken in a while.

Most Consecutive Losses: This record is not a record that a team would want to hold. However, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost 26 straight games. Just think about that, almost two seasons without a win. Heck, we thought the Lions not winning a game was bad.

Most Career Rushing Yards: This record is held by Emmitt Smith with 18,355 yards. Out of all the records, this one is most likely to be broken. Though the league is leaning toward passing, we just witnessed Adrian Peterson rushing for over 2,000 yards. Peterson has 8,849 career rushing yards over six seasons. Peterson would have to keep up his average of 1475 yards for another seven years. Given that the career of runningbacks is decreasing, I don’t see Peterson breaking this record.

Highest Passer Rating in a Season: This record is held by Peyton Manning with a passer rating of 121.1. The highest passer rating this year was Aaron Rodgers with a rating of 108.0. This 13.1 point difference is actually gigantic, and shows that Manning will probably find himself in the Hall of Fame at the end of his career.

Most Career Championship Appearances: This record is untouchable. Held by Otto Graham at 10 career championship appearances. John Elway only led the Broncos to five Super Bowls.  Tom Brady has also led his team to five Super Bowls. However, I don’t see Brady making it five more times to match this record.

NBA:

Most Wins in a Season: The Chicago Bulls went 72-10 in the 1995-96 season. To put this record in perspective, the Bulls won seven out of eight games for 82 games. Most teams in the NBA can’t win seven out of eight games at anytime. Unless the Miami Heat seriously step up their game, this record isn’t being broken.

Most Career Points: Held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 38,387 points. Jabbar developed a skyhook that was literally unblockable and allowed him to pour out points. The highest active player is Kobe Bryant, who is a good 7,000 points behind. Unless Bryant plays until his 40s, this record is lasting for a long time.

Most Championship Wins: Bill Russell holds this one with 11 championship rings. Russell won championships in NBA titles in all but two of his seasons. To think that a player could win that many titles in that short of a time span is almost unfathomable. 

Most Points Per Game in a Season: Nobody is breaking this record. Period. Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points per game in one season. There have been less than five 50 point games this season alone. And Chamberlain scored over 50 points per game. This scoring output in a season is going to be in the record books forever.

Most Career Assists: John Stockton holds this record and his record will probably never be broken either. Stockton played in 19 NBA seasons. In those 19 seasons he average 10.1 assists per game. There is one player this season that averaged over 10 assists per game, Rajon Rondo. And Rondo didn’t even play for most of the season. It’s impressive to average 10 assists per game for one season and Stockton did it in 19. His record is never getting touched.

Most Points in a Game: Here’s the record that everyone has been waiting for. Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game. 100 points. Triple digits. Only 11 teams average more than 100 points per game this season. That means, in one game, Chamberlain would have beaten 19 teams by himself. Given, he wouldn’t score that many points in a game today, but it shows how dominant of a player that Chamberlain was in his time period. The closest somebody has gotten since is 81 by Kobe Bryant. But he is still a long way off. Teams these days wouldn’t allow a player to get that high. Once a player hit 70, he would start being double teamed almost every possession.

Conclusion: The greatest record holder of all time is Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky holds or shares 61 NHL records. Also given that he has more assists than the top player’s assists and goals combined validates him as the greatest hockey player to ever play.

Hello folks,

Week two is gone, and week three has begun. We hope your fantasy baseball year thus  far is going well.  If its not then this might give you some advice to show you who you can pick up in your leagues, and prob show you some to the guys you faced because they are hot right now.  If you team is killing it like Micah’s in our Koppetts Town league, then you might see some friendly faces on this hot players list, and this might give you ideas on how to make your team even stronger.

Hot players:

John Buck

Buck is still on fire for the Mets.  He is in 1st in the NL in RBI’s with 19, and 24th in batting average batting .317.  Buck started off the season well and has carried his production over through week 2.  He is batting in the middle of the Mets lineup, a lineup that has been producing.  Buck punctuated week 2 with a Grand Slam against the Twins.

Prince Fielder

Fielder is leading the MLB in batting average, sitting pretty at .429.  Great numbers for a prototypical power guy. There are many reasons for this, first he is taking his time at the plate having good at bats every time.  He is drawn 10 walks because he is not swinging at anything out of the strike zone, he is waiting for his pitch. He also has great protection in the lineup with Torii Hunter who also is hitting very well and Miguel Cabrera.

Justin Upton

Justin Upton is the Upton brother producing for the Braves.  Justin Upton has hit 8 home runs, and brought in 11 runs, all while batting .333.  This is much needed and welcomed production for the first place Braves. If other Upton brother can step up his game this team will get even scarier.

Chris Carter

The Astro’s first baseman went OFF last week, hitting 4 bombs and 10 total hits in 28 PA’s.  The guy’s got some big power potential and could be a breakout candidate getting at bats for an awful Astros team.  Good pick up.

Seth Smith

Smith is the DH for the A’s, and he is batting an astounding .448, so far this year with 1 home run.  Smith is also not just getting singles, but in his 13 hits he has hit 6 doubles, so he his seeing the ball well and hitting the ball to the gaps.  A note on Smith is that his sample size is even smaller than the others on this list (just over 30 PA’s).

Pitchers

Paul Maholm

Maholm from the Braves has three wins and has not let a run cross the plate yet.  Need I say more?  With the Braves offense you need runs and Maholm has not given up a single one in his three starts.  Going back to the second half last year and Maholm has had solid peripherals and an ERA around 2.15 in his last 2o something starts.  A guy who has basically represented the league average for most of his career, perhaps Maholm has taken some steps forward and putten mere decency behind him.  Only time will tell, however, because 3 starts certainly doesn’t.

Sergio Romo

Romo has already racked up seven saves this year, with 12 strikeouts.  He has only  blown one save against the cubs in his eight save opportunities.  Romo is definitely one of the most dominant closers in the MLB right now.

Andy Pettitte

Pettitte has been of the most consistent starters for the Yankees so far this year. In his two games so far this year he is 2-0  with an ERA of 1.20.  He has not pitched against bad teams either as he got his wins against the Indians and Red Sox.  He could still have a solid season left in the tank…I wouldn’t be too surprised.  Pettitte is worth a potential pick-up if he’s available.

Disclaimer:  This article is a collaboration between Micah and Crum; Crum wrote most of it.  We’d like to add this as a weekly feature.

The year was 1947. World War II had just ended two years before. Then, on this day 66 years ago, April 15, 1947, the sports world was changed forever. Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play in the major leagues and ended the color barrier for professional sports. We’ll be looking at not only Robinson’s career, but his character off the field.

Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson was born on January 31, 1919. His family was a sharecropping family in Cairo, Georgia. Robinson attended Pasadena Junior College and then UCLA. Robinson became the first UCLA athlete to win four varsity letters. After college, Jackie pursued football on the Honolulu Bears and the Los Angeles Bulldogs. However, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor drew the United States, and Robinson into the war. While in the army, Robinson met a former player of the Kansas City Monarchs, in the Negro American League. The player urged Robinson to try out for the team, and Robinson took his advice. Robinson was eventually signed by the Monarchs. With the Monarchs, Robinson hit .387 with five home runs and 13 stolen bases. The general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers at this time was Branch Rickey. Rickey selected Robinson from a list of possible players. Rickey wanted a player that not only was good, but that had the character to not respond to racist remarks at this time. On October 23, 1945, Robinson signed a contract with the Montreal Royals, a minor league team to the Dodgers.

Jackie faced much opposition while on the Royals. He could not sleep with the team at the team hotel and instead stayed at the house of a local black politician. Games were often cancelled because Robinson was African American. The Royals had to cancel one of their road trips because teams refused to play them. Robinson struggled playing shortstop so they moved him to second base. At second base, Robinson hit .349 with a .985 fielding percentage. He was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. Despite Robinson being the only African American player, the Royal’s fan base accepted him and cheered for him. Six days before the regular season in 1947, the Brooklyn Dodgers called up Jackie Robinson to play for them.

Eddie Stanky was playing second base, so the Dodgers started Robinson at first base. In his major league debut on April 15, 1947, Robinson went hitless but did draw a walk and score a run. Robinson’s introduction into the league faced mix reactions. Many fans went to games to watch Robinson play. However, some of the Dodger players refused to play alongside him. Eventually, the Dodger’s manager told players that he didn’t care what color Robinson was and that they would be traded if they refused to play. Some teams, specifically the St. Louis Cardinals, threatened to go on strike if Robinson was allowed to play. The National League President Ford Frick told these players that they would be suspended if they went on strike. Robinson received a lot of support from his teammate Pee Wee Reese. In 1948, Reese famously put his arm around Jackie’s shoulder before a game in Cincinnati because the Cincinnati fans were yelling racial slurs at Robinson. Jackie finished the season having played in 151 games for the Dodgers. His splits were .297/.383/.427. He had 48 runs batted in and 29 stolen bases. With theses numbers, Robinson won the Rookie of the Year award.

In his career, Jackie Robinson helped the Dodgers to six World Series but only won championship. Robinson retired from baseball in 1957. His final stats were a .311 batting average, 1,518 hits, 137 home runs, 734 RBIs, and 197 stolen bases. He was a six time All-Star and a two-time Stolen Base Champion. He won the National League Most Valuable Player once and the Batting Title once. On June 4, 1972, the Dodgers retired Robinson’s jersey. Robinson was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1962. This was his first year being on the ballot. On October 24, 1972, Robinson passed away due to a heart attack.

Jackie Robinson’s legacy is lived throughout the major leagues today. On April 15, 1997, Robinson’s fiftieth anniversary of breaking the color barrier, the MLB retired Robinson’s number 42 throughout the entire league. Players wearing 42 in 1997 were allowed to keep wearing their jersey. Today, the last player wearing 42 is Mariano Rivera, the Yankee’s closer. He is planning on retiring this year. Every year on April 15, every player on every team wears the number 42 to honor Jackie Robinson. Teams not playing today will be wearing their jerseys tomorrow. Robinson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal after his death. Jackie Robinson left a legacy that all African American athletes can thank today. Today is a day to remember Jackie and all the things he did for professional athletics.

Remember checking us out on Twitter at @koppettstown for the latest posts on all your favorite sports!

It would not be very bold to call the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves the two best teams in baseball.  Not only do they have the two best records, they have some of the best talent and are very well-rounded.  Most put the Nats over the Braves on paper before the season, though the Braves are one game ahead.  The one win is pretty negligible and I see them as neck and neck coming in to this series.

Needless to say, this series is going to be HUGE for determining the pre-all star break NL East race.  There are 4 possible outcomes in the series.  If the Braves sweep they will be 11-1 and the Nats will be 7-5, 4 games behind.  This would be huge momentum and certainly put them higher in the eyes of most.  THe Nats could sweep which would put them at 10-2 while the Braves would fall to a still respectable 8-4.  The Braves would only be 2 games out, but a lesser team in the eyes of most.  The Braves could win 2 of 3 and reach a 10-2 record and the Nats would be 8-4.  This would put the Braves higher in most power rankings, but the race would still be close.  If the Nationals win 2 of 3 both teams will have a 9-3 record.  If I were to put some percentages on the outcomes I’d say 10% chance that either team sweeps, with a 45% chance the Braves win 2 and a 35% chance the Nats win 2.

Tonight’s game, which I will be attending, features the fifth starters from both teams.  Julio Teheran takes the mound for the Braves while Ross Detweiler opposes for the  Nationals.  Detweiler has pitched parts of 5 seasons for the Nats, but only began to see regular starts last year.  He doesn’t have very good stuff as far as strikeouts, but keeps balls on the ground.  He’s had moderate success with a career ERA under 3.70 and both of his starts against the Braves last year were “quality”.  Teheran makes the 6th start of his young career.  He struggled in his last start, but possesses the top level stuff that a guy like Detweiler lacks.  I don’t really know what to expect from him tonight, but I think a rebound from his last start wouldn’t be too farfetched.  I think this match up is about 50-50 considering Detweiler’s success against the Braves and Teherans potential shown earlier this spring.

Freddie Freeman is still on the DL and Evan Gattis will not be starting at catcher this game.  The Braves line-up is a little rag-tag, but probably about even with the Nats in this condition.  I am crossing my fingers for this one because it could go either way.

Game 2 pits Stephen Strasburg against Tim Hudson.  Hudson is steady as they come, but has not always been the best against the Nationals.  Strasburg had an amazing season debut, but got rocked in his last start against the Reds.  He’s also been pretty good against the Braves, though they have been able to get to him in some of his starts.  The advantage goes to Strasburg because he is the better pitcher; Hudson’s consistency does help to lessen the advantage however.

The series finale will see Paul Maholm and Gio Gonzalez pitch for their respective teams. Maholm has yet to give up a run in 2013 while Gio has allowed only 1.  Gonzalez is the better pitcher, but Maholm is getting hitters out very effectively so far.  Advantage goes to the Nats, but barely.

Wrap up:

This series is highly anticipated and should not disappoint   The Nationals have a slight pitching advantage, but I think the Braves make up for it in their line up.  I’m predicting that the Braves take the opener and the finale for 2 of 3.

 

Week one of fantasy baseball has come and gone, the season is still new!  The anticipation after the draft has settled, and now its time for trades, lineup setting, streaking and slumping players, frustration and jubilation.  

When you have a player on your team in fantasy baseball that is on fire it is the best feeling in the world, this player is bringing up your team average, adding hits, runs and RBI’s, but when your opponent has a Chris Davis, anger and jealousy are the only describing words.

This is hopefully going to be a running series and hopefully some of these will be collaboration articles, but this series each week will look at some of the surprises of the week that was in fantasy baseball.  Surprises will include both slumping players and outstanding performances   Also some under the radar players that might help you out in your leagues, so lets begin.  

Chris Davis

Unless you don’t have a pulse or don’t follow baseball at all you have to have heard on the spectacular start to the season Chris Davis has had.  In the first four games of the season Chris Davis hit a home run in every one.  He is batting .417 with 4 homers, and 17 RBI’s. Lets be clear unless Chris Davis wants to be inducted to the Hall of Fame this year he is not going to keep up these numbers,  pitchers are going to figure out how to pitch to him.  Davis is well protected in the Baltimore lineup with Adam Jones and Matt Wieters, so expect him to gave decent numbers, but not the production you have seen so far much to the Orioles chagrin.  

John Buck

Heard of him, well John Buck is quietly, because of the crazy power hitting of Davis, having a great start to the season.  Buck is the catcher for the Mets. Buck was supposed to be just a place holder for the Mets as they were waiting for their up and coming catcher prospect Travis d’Aranud, but with the way Buck has been hitting d’Aranud may have to wait.  Buck is hitting .375, with 3 homers and 12 RBI’s.  Solid production for a place holder, Buck obviously does not want to be replaced and with production like this he won’t be.  

Justin Upton

Six homeruns?  Yes, this season so far Justin Upton has hit six home runs, one of the key players in the Braves overpowered offence, but it is not just homers that Upton has been hitting, Upton is hitting .423 with 8 RBI’s and has scored 9 runs.  Upton has good speed, but with all the homers the Braves hit he has had no time to steal any bases.  

Will Middlebrooks 

Middlebrooks had one huge game against the Blue Jays where he hit three homers.  He has started strong, and so has the entire Red Soxs team.  Middlebrooks this season has hit a total of 4 homers, and is hitting a modest .286, but with his explosion against the Blue Jays he is on many fantasy baseball players radar.  

Paul Maholm

In his two starts for the Braves so far this season Maholm has not given up a run.  He is 2-0 with an ERA of 0.00.  Maholm takes the credit for this weeks surprising fantasy pitcher.  Yes yes, i know Darvish almost threw a no hitter, but that was against the feeble Astros, and his second outing was not as impressive.  

R.A Dickey 

Now for the disappointment of the week.  R.A Dickey is 0-2 with an ERA of 8.82.  His knuckleball is not moving and his slow fastball is getting blasted. Dickey has only stuck out nine batters and walked six.  Not good numbers for Dickey or owners of Dickey this year.  

 

That will wrap this addition up, there are more players that could have been mentioned, but those were the major surprises this week.  Come back next week, so you can keep up to date with all that is going on in baseball.       

As far as this series is concerned, this post will at least rival (and probably surpass) the starting pitching post as the most lengthy.  This is due to the fact that every team has at least 3 OF and usually more like 5/6 when the utility and bench spots are taken into account.  Because there are so many of them, the outfield has the most studs.  You can expect a lot of good hitting OFers, especially from the corner spots.  Center field is not an offense first position, but there are notable exceptions.  OF is a great area to look for good all-round fantasy players with speed, good OB skills, and production.  Let’s begin with a look at the elite fantasy outfielders.

Tier 1

I’m going to get hell for this, but Ryan Braun is my top fantasy pick from the OF.  Look, the guy has never hit fewer than 97 RBI and career triple-slash of .313/.374/.568.  He’s gone 30-30 two years in a row and provides everything when it comes to offense; power, average, on-base skills, stolen bases.  Merge this with consistency and you’ve got as close to a sure thing superstar as possible.  Now, I know what you’re thinking “BUT MIKE TROUT HAD 10 WAR LAST YEAR!!!!”… I’m not saying Braun is a better player, just a better and more consistent hitter (for now).  Trout has a lot of value from defense, but guess what…fantasy baseball ignores defense.  Their campaigns last year were comparable as far as wRC+ and wOBA are concerned, but I have no clue what to expect from Trout next year (He may set records…but he also might have an epic sophomore slump).  Third is going to be Andrew McCutchen.  McCutchen is a monster.  He knows how to take a walk, steals bases, hits for power, and has a good BA.  He’s gotten progressively better every year in the majors so far and shows no signs of stopping.  Matt Kemp comes in at number 4.  He’s got 40-40 potential but carries some risk.  This is a little controversial, but I’m putting Matt Holliday in the 5th slot.  He’s consistent as they come and is something like Braun minus stolen bases (and a few HRs).  Jose Bautista showed signs of being human last year, so he gets bumped down a little, but he’s the type of guy that makes you think it’s 1998 or 2001 again, in the middle of the steroid era.  The last guy I’ll put in this tier is Giancarlo Stanton.  He’s got more raw power than any other player in the majors and hit .290 last season.  He’s worth drafting for power alone.

Tier 2

Josh Hamilton can smack homers and produce a lot of runs.  Draft him, just not before any of the guys above.  I’m not as high on him as others because of his inconsistency, but expect production.  Carlos Gonzalez takes the 2 spot in tier two. He’s not as good as 2010 may have led us to believe, but expect a high BA and 20+ steals/homers.  Justin Upton, a perennial breakout candidate, takes the next spot.  At least above average all-round, he could quickly turn into an MVP type player.  Jason Heyward comes in next followed closely by Bryce Harper.  These young guys have loads of offensive potential and have a useful power/speed combo.  Now, in rough order: Jay Bruce, Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Willingham, Adam Jones, Alex Gordon, Michael Bourn, and B.J. Upton.  Also, Yahoo has Adrian Gonzalez listed as a qualified OF, he fits somewhere in this tier.

Tier 3

I’ve been pretty conservative thus far in the top two tiers…that’s been a trend in this series…but tier 3 holds a lot of guys.  In no particular order (follows for tier 4/5):  Nick Swisher, Jayson Werth, Allen Craig (mostly plays 1B), Dexter Fowler, Josh Reddick, Nick Markakis, Martin Prado, Carlos Beltran, Shin-Soo Choo, Jacoby Ellsbury, Corey Hart, Alejandro De Aza, Mark Trumbo, and Austin Jackson.  Throw Curtis Granderson in here as well considering the awful average and time he will miss.  

Tier 4

Carlos Quentin, Denard Span, Chris Davis, Alfonso Soriano, Tori Hunter,
David Murphy, Nelson Cruz (check updates on steroids thing though), Coco Crisp, Angel Pagan, Cody Ross, Noricika Aoki, Shane Victorino, Hunter Pence, Melky Cabrera, Brett Gardner, Adam Dunn, Alex Rios, Garrett Jones, and Michael Saunders.

Tier 5

Note: tier five fantasy OFers are still decently valuable players in real life and generally average to above average, but the lowest of those likely to get drafted.  David DeJesus, Dayan Viciedo, Ichiro Suzuki, Ben Revere, Colby Rasmus, Michael Cuddyer, Michael Morse, Lorenzo Cain, Logan Morrison, Drew Stubbs, Trevor Plouffe, Chris Young, Juan Pierre, Ryan Ludwick, Michael Brantley, Cameron Maybin, Jon Jay, Tyler Colvin, Cody Ross etc.

Tips:

• It can be handy to draft lots of speed or power one way or the other so you are almost garunteed a win in that category every week…not for everybody though
• Draft lots of OF, they make great utility players and it’s an easy position to find a breakout star or two if you’re lucky
• It’s always nice to have a tier 1 guy
• Don’t draft Nate McClouth…He is not what he seems

That’s a wrap for the Fantasy primer series!  It’s been a lot of fun to compile and I hope you’ve enjoyed it and learned something.

This is the second to last position in my fantasy rundown series, though it remains to be seen if I will split up OF into two parts.  I’m also thinking about a piece on the utility position.  Today, however, is all about catchers.  Catchers aren’t usually the greatest hitters in the league, though typically better than up the middle positions (2B, SS, CF).  Catchers present a huge injury risk and teams often sit their catchers at least once a week.  Because of this you will want a more than decent backup.

Tier 1

Reigning MVP Buster Posey is the obvious #1 choice.  Don’t expect another year with a 162 wRC+, but there’s no reason to expect him to have a poor year.  Joe Mauer comes in as the 2nd best here.  His monster campaign in 2009 has set the bar pretty high for him and makes all his subsequent seasons seem disappointing, but he can still hit very well.  Victor Martinez is back and takes the #3 spot.  Carlos Santana takes the #4 spot over Mike Napoli and then Yadier Molina.  Santana is a very good hitter and should get plenty of AB’s between catcher and first base.  Napoli put up a 170 wRC+ just two years ago; if he doesn’t revert back to that, at least he’ll hit HRs.  I’ve never been a fan of Yadier Molina at all, but he has been good and seems to be getting better.  The most valuable catcher in baseball over the past three years (by fWAR), Yadier is consistent as they come.

Tier 2

Orioles fans, I know what you’re thinking…”No Wieters in tier 1 you, must be crazy!”.  My response:  Wieters is really good, but much of his value comes from his defense, and any production (HR/RBI) is offset by his low batting average.  He takes the top of tier two, closely followed by Brian McCann.  It was a tough call between the two of them, with B-Mac being better until last year and Wieters being worse until last year.  I think McCann will recover after a career worst season last year, but I can only see Wieters improving as well so he gets the nod.   Also, Wieters looks to get more PA with McCann out for the first month.  I think John Jaso is legitimate so I’ll put him at the third spot in this tier.  Miguel Montero is the last player in this tier.

Tier 3

This is where performance becomes a lot more iffy.  The guys above are good bets for an at least above average year.  Down here there’s gonna be a few breakouts, but most will fail miserably.  Note: The inter-tier rankings are much less set in stone down here.  Last year, A.J. Ellis and Jonathon Lucroy quietly had outstanding seasons for the Dodgers and Brewers respectively.  Both can hit for high average and Ellis has a great walk rate.  (I used these two underrated guys on my championship winning fantasy team last year)  Salvador Perez is all the rage after hitting 11 Hr and over a .300 BA in half a season for the Royals last year.  I wouldn’t waste an early/middle draft pick on him, but keep an eye on him.  A.J. Pierzynski put up a career year in 2012 with over 25 HR.  However, he has one of the WORST walk rates in the league.  Wilin Rosario hit more homeruns than any other catcher last year in hitter-friendly Coors Field.  He’s got some potential nad is worth drafting for HR alone.  Russel Wilson completes this tier; watch the AVG though!  

Tier 4

Jesus Montero is a huge breakout candidate, but there’s a chance he’s a bust.  J.P. Arencibia can hit HR and that’s about it.  Alex Avila had a down year but was one of the better hitting catchers in 2011.  Jarrod Saltalamacchia hits HRs, kills average.  Chris Iannetta could be a backup option.  Carlos Ruiz is a cheater and missing half the season; that is why he is down here.  A full year of non-roids ruiz would probably make tier 3.

Tier 5

John Buck, George Kottaras, Rod Barajas, Miguel Olivo, Kelly Shoppach, Michael McKenry, Kurt Suzuki, Ryan Hannigan, Geovany Soto, Gerald Laird etc.  I’d like to put a plug in for Braves minor leaguer Evan Gattis real quick.  He’s in the fifth tier, but that moves to tier 3/4 if he actually makes the team.  He is not a good defender, but can mash the baseball.  Definitely one to watch.

Random Fun Fact: Joey Votto was third in the majors with 94 walks last year…and he only played half a season

Third base is one of the deepest positions this year, with plenty of all-star options. You should not be stuck having to settle for a platoon or replacement level player at 3B.  Also, I’m going to rank players somewhat more within their tiers for this segment and probably the ones to follow.

Tier 1

Miguel Cabrera is the #1 choice at third…he won the freaking triple-crown last year, a fantasy owner’s dream.  The only downside to Cabrera is his defense, and fantasy ball overlooks that!  He’s got power, OB%, and mega production.  The #2 option at 3B is Evan Longoria and Adrian Beltre takes the 3 spot.  David Wright is #4 after a very good rebound year in 2012.  Chase Headley rounds out my top tier coming in at #5.  For those who doubt Headley, I think his 2012 campaign was legitimate and he also brings a a high OB% and 15+ steals to the table.

Tier 2

Ryan Zimmerman headlines tier two, with Hanley Ramirez coming in 2nd.  Aramis Ramirez takes #3.  David Freese is next and Pablo Sandoval follows.  Martin Prado is #6.

Tier 3

Mark Trumbo tops tier 3.  Pedro Alvarez is a big power bat and potential breakout guy in 2013…he just needs to strikeout less.  Brett Lawrie, Will Middlebrooks, Kyle Seager, and Mike Moustakas are three more players entering their second full year who look to break out.

Tier 4

Kevin Youkilis isn’t a complete wash yet; he has some draft value.  Trevor Plouffe is #2.  Mark Reynolds takes #3, but watch the Ks!  Kyle Seager is next followed by Alberto Callapso and Todd Frazier.  I guess I’ll throw Michael Young in here too.

Tier 5

Manny Machado, Chris Johnson, Juan Francisco, A-rod, etc. make up tier 5.  I would keep an eye on Machado though in case he makes some strides in his offensive approach.  Also, keep an eye on the Braves 3B situation and how that works out.  Johnson and Francisco will get a number of PA and could break out (Francisco has ++ power).

Tips:

It wouldn’t be a bad Idea to draft two of the top 10 3B if you can…it takes away from other teams in your league and gives you a good utility.  Many 3B are also eligible at other positions.

 

Shortstop, like 2B is a weak offensive position.  However, it’s a good place to look for steals/runs and a high OB%.  On the whole, the position has few studs, but is pretty deep with plenty of good guys worth drafting.

Tier 1

Tier 1 status = good all-round hitting ability (production + runs + OB%).  Troy Tulowitzki is the premier shortstop in the MLB when he isn’t injured and the clear #1 fantasy shortstop.  Beyond Tulo, I think that Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez are the only other two in this tier.  Reyes is solid when healthy…lacks power, but more than makes up for it in speed.  I think that Hanley is going to have a good year.  His luck has been down the past two seasons as far as BABIP is concerned, but I think he can at least somewhat return to the Hanley of 2006-2010.  If you get one of these three, great.  If not, there’s options.  Ben Zobrist is listed as a SS in some leagues (you’ll see his name pop up a lot in this series), so he would be a tier 1 shortstop if you drafted him here.

Tier 2

Tier two is pretty substantial.  If you’ve read any of this series, the pattern for the tiers is pretty similar; these guys are slightly less good than the ones above or are less of a “sure-thing”.  Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins, and J.J. Hardy are three veteran guys you can count on for a good but not jaw-dropping season.  Note: Hardy will tank your OB%…fair warning.  Asdrubal Cabrera, Starlin Castro, and Ian Desmond round out tier two.  These three are great with the bat and potential breakout candidates.  Of the 6, I like Jeter, Cabrera, and Castro the most.  Martin Prado, another guy you’ll see a lot in this series, would fall into this tier.

Tier 3

Marco Scutaro, Elvis Andrus, Yunel Escobar, Erick Aybar, Jhonny Peralta, Alcides Escobar, Andrelton Simmons, and Zach Cozart make up tier 3.  Don’t expect anything huge, but hey, if you’re shopping down here you missed out on the big fish and these guys are better than the alternative.  Look for around a 100 wRC+ with minor fluctuations either way.  Personally, I like Escobar, Escobar, and Peralta the most of this bunch. Cozart could breakout.  Curb your expectations from Simmons’ cup of tea last year, but I’m expecting a league average offensive year.

Tier 4

Top prospect Jurickson Profar has the upside of tier 2/3, but is blocked by Elvis Andrus and probably won’t have a full season if he makes it to the show.  He could be worth drafting and is certainly worth keeping an eye on.  Josh Rutledge, Alexi Ramirez, Emilio Bonifacio, Rafael Furcal, Stephen Drew, and Dee Gordon (only if you need steals) are worth a thought, but don’t expect much.

Tier 5

Meh:  Alex Gonzalez, Cliff Pennington, Mike Aviles, Ruben Tejada, Ryan Theriot, Clint Barmes, Brendan Ryan, Jason Bartlet etc.  I wouldn’t draft any of these guys, but hey, they play in the MLB and they are tier 5!

 

Tips:

• Draft a backup SS…they are injury prone (see Troy Tulowitzki)
• Look at stats like wRC and wOBA when looking for fantasy value…WAR is almost useless at this position because there are defense first guys like Brendan Ryan who rack up a ton of WAR solely on defense.
• As with 2nd base (and most positions you choose to skimp on) go for a platoon if you miss out on top 10 guys in the position
• Don’t be afraid to draft a prospect like Profar/Simmons…low risk with a high potential reward

Up next I cover fantasy rankings at the hot corner, Third base for those of you who are illiterate on all things baseball.